Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire’s D40 Quest captain Cameron Cooper is eyeing a successful end to 2025.
Cameron Cooper, Yorkshire’s D40 Quest captain, is hoping the knowledge gained from their previous experience of a title triumph can help get his side over the line again this summer.
National champions in 2023, under Gordon Laidlaw’s leadership, the White Rose are in the thick of it again this summer with three group matches remaining.
They are third in the North Group table with three matches to play, 26 points behind league leaders Wales, who have played one more. There are 30 points available, and Yorkshire have the leaders to play at home in their final fixture of the group phase on Sunday July 20.
Sandwiched in between are second-placed Roses rivals Lancashire, who host Yorkshire at Southport on July 6. Lancashire are 21 points ahead of Yorkshire in second place having also played four games, while they sit five behind Wales.
Yesterday, Wales suffered a shock home defeat to Cheshire, while Lancashire won at Shropshire.
Next up for Cooper and company is a home game against bottom side Shropshire at Higham CC this coming Sunday.
Yorkshire have so far won two of their three games, losing only to Wales away at the end of April. There are two groups, the other being the South. The winners of each will meet in a final to decide who becomes the national champions.
“For the boys who were part of it in 2023, it’s very much a sense of, ‘We can do it again’,” said England Physical Disability seam bowler Cooper.
“For the boys who weren’t, what we’re saying is, ‘We’ve been lucky enough to experience this and we want you to have that amazing feeling as well’.
“We need everybody contributing, and knowing what’s happened previously is just giving us that little bit of extra something to try and get us over the line.
“With the title-winning side in 2023, it came down to what we had to do for the last two games. We were able to deal with that pressure and come through, and I think the boys will be able to do that this year.
“It’s been a real team effort so far, a lot of contributions from everybody involved.
“It’s been good as well because we’ve been able to expose some of the younger lads to the top level of county cricket. So we’re really happy with how it’s going.
“Unfortunately, we lost the first game of the season to Wales. But us beating Cheshire a couple of weeks ago was a huge positive because that puts us in a good position to keep challenging.”
While Cooper has hailed many contributions, there has been one man who has stood out so far – all-rounder Owen Morris.
In the two games which Yorkshire have won, he has starred in them both.
Against Shropshire late last month, he hit 43 with the bat from number three and took three wickets in a 54-run triumph.
Picture by YCCC. Owen Morris has been superb this season with bat and ball.
Against Cheshire earlier this month – 35-run success – Morris crashed a brilliant 127 not out off 79 balls and struck twice with his spin.
“That hundred was something special, really,” reflected Cooper. “We haven’t had a first XI D40 hundred in quite a while, and it ended up winning us the game.
“He’s taken wickets as well, and he always stands up in situations when you need him to.
“It just shows his growth as a player. I’ve seen him work very hard, and he absolutely deserves the praise he’s getting. But there’s more to come from him as well.
“The one thing I’ve noticed about him this year, he’s added to his temperament. He likes to be aggressive, and he likes to be on top of the game. But he’s also added a bit of calmness to that this year.
“As he’s grown, he’s just developed a new sense of, as much as he wants to be aggressive, he can take the sting out of a situation as well.”
Disability team manager Owen Jervis has spoken time and again over the last couple of years about progression of young players being more important than the pursuit of trophies.
However, Yorkshire are currently having their cake and eating it.
They have blooded young players whilst challenging for county cricket’s top honour.
Wicketkeeper-opener Curtis Sugden is one such example. He scored a second-team hundred in the Pursuit competition at the weekend and is a key player in Cooper’s firsts as well.
“It’s a pleasure to be able to share the field with these young lads,” said Cooper. “It’s really good to see their development first hand.
“It’s one thing we do very well as a county.
“We do put an onus on winning, and we want to be the best county in the country. But, at the same time, we want to also have the best pathway in the country – make sure there’s clear opportunities for players coming through.
“In our D40 second XI, we’ve got a very young squad. But they’re top of their league and smashing it this season.”
Cooper mentioned earlier a “real team effort so far”, and he was looking at on-field performances. However, he knows all too well that there is a team beyond the team who are just as important.
He added: “It’s just a case of a lot of thanks goes to the coaching staff, the wonderful volunteers that we have and the parents of the players. All the support we receive as a county is wonderful because it really does help us gel as a unit.
“We always say that the year we won the title, we probably weren’t the best side on paper, but we were definitely the best team. That included everybody involved.”
Picture by YCCC. Wicketkeeper-opener Curtis Sudden is one of the county’s bright young stars.
